The same for me. I have a Tivoli Internet Radio on all day long except for when I use the system. Music per se is perfect on it.
It all would be much simpler if we accepted the fact that a radio is for music, a stereo set is a toy. (And while we’re at it, didn’t richer kids exhibit costlier toys when we all were uncertain, growing brats?)
What do you mean by “opportunity cost”?
Of course a system has a cost, but, and this is critical here, once you have it the only cost of choosing to use it at any moment is electricity, and when compared with using another system or device you may have, which was the situation in the post I queried, it is only the difference in electricity cost of the bigger system vs the smaller.
I still have a CCA somewhere but there is quite a big upgrade available now though in the physically very similar and still reasonably priced Wiim Mini connected to a Topping E30 Dac the whole thing bought used cost less than £150.
I agree. I can’t see that HiFi has an opportunity cost in the traditional “business school” sense. Once you have your system you are “done”and that is it. For me, diminishing returns comes into play when you are considering upgrading from A to B and does the expenditure equate favorably with the upgrade in SQ. If you are concerned about investing for financial well being then you should not be purchasing more equipment IMHO.
I went from Rega entry level integrated to Rega Mira to 112/150 to 202/200 to 282/200 then 282/250 then 252/250 and Ear 912 / 250 then 300 dr then Ear 534.
As sources, from Rega P3 to P25 to P9 to SME 20 to Rp10 to P10.
Rega Apollo cd player to Rega Jupiter to Naim Cd5 to Pierre Lurne Mephisto 2X to Naim Cd5xs/ Hicap to Cdx2 / Xps 2 to Nds/555 dr.
Conclusion : I lost a lot of money at each step of upgrading and for the total of all steps.
When you buy a box, if you sell it a few months later, you loose 30% of its original price.
It’s the game. I don’t regret it. But better not discuss that with people without that hobby. Or be prepared that they will call the men in white coats.
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When you buy a box new…
Buying & selling used or pre-loved can result in little or no ‘loss’… 
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In my case it was quite always new. Living in UK would have been very probably different .
Not a lot of Naim gear to be sold in the French used market.
And my dealer traded generally with reasonable cost from one box to another.
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If I’d be 20 yrs younger, I’d instantly move to Paris. Even being a clochard there must be better than all the rain here.
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I think it’s more of a sunk cost (@Innocent_Bystander); it’s an opportunity cost right up to the moment you decide to buy as you can always choose to spend the money elsewhere. Once bought it might be considered by some as a sunk cost fallacy if they regret the purchase.
Also significant is the frequency of upgrade: If you do few, larger steps it doesn’t cost as much overall.
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A total upgrade every decade for me…. Stops me bothering with it in between (and I tend to do cables etc as part of the upgrade).
Naim 202/200 - 252/300 - Devialet 250- Naim 222/300/250….
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I’ve used a few Chromecasts for years and was very happy with one into Rega Dac R as part of study system.
The Wiim Pro Plus into a Chord Qutest that replaced them is a distinct and noticeable improvement in SQ though…
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We have rain 6 days per week since the 1st November to the beginning of May, this year. Better go to South of France.
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I have a very wealthy friend who, in 1997, asked what a good hifi system would cost him. I gave him the obligatory red pill/blue pill speech from the Matrix and off he toddled to a good audio dealer to listen to what they had. Three days later I had a call from the dealer thanking me as their new customer walked out with £87k’s worth of Naim system and associated toys.
Fast forward to last year and we were sitting round his house enjoying a very nice scotch and cigar, listening to the same system he bought in 1997, when he admitted to me that of all the toys he has (including a collection Ferrari’s, Porche’s and the Bentley’s) the Naim system has given him, by some margin, the most fun and the greatest satisfaction of anything he’s owned to date. Not much more I can add really, just that the power of music on a good system, no mater what it costs, can make you very very happy.
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Well it’s apparently been pee-ing down in Languedoc!
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I hope so because I’ve just ordered one
Wiim or Chord?
I presume you mean source, amp and speakers? Wow that is drastic! After my first 5 or 6 years with rebuilding of DIY amps and speakers, my average rate of change across all components has been about that, but spread out more evenly - but I haven’t changed all components the same number of times.
Wiim, I already have a Dave
Even better.
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